Chapter 29
Chapter 29: Luo Ning’s Vigilance
Luo Ning sat in Wenqi Courtyard, took out the jade zither Prince Yong had given her, and played a song.
Her maidservant Qiu Lan said: “Eldest Miss, I keep feeling that something is missing in the music.”
Luo Ning laughed and asked: “Is it because there is no bamboo flute playing along with it?”
Qiu Lan suddenly realized: “That must be it.”
She added with a smile: “When we were in Shaoyang, the residence where we lived had Madam Feng’s little courtyard right next door. Whenever you played the zither in the rear courtyard, she would always play the flute to accompany you.”
Luo Ning’s neighbor in Shaoyang had been a widowed Madam Feng. Her late husband had been the prefect of Shaoyang. The Feng clan was one of the prestigious local clans.
Madam Feng was only four years older than Luo Ning and came from the Shaoyang branch of the Pei family. Grand Princess Jia Hong’s imperial son-in-law was her clan uncle.
After she was widowed, Madam Feng had grown depressed and moved out of the Feng clan’s old estate to live alone in a small courtyard in the southern city district.
The place was filled with green bamboo, and behind the house was a whole hillside of lychee trees.
Before that, Luo Ning had been recuperating at the old estate in Shaoyang. As her body gradually improved, she instead felt that living in the busy old estate made her more isolated.
No one truly treated her with a sincere heart.
In her last year there, she told the clan head that she wanted to move to a quieter place.
The clan head agreed and chose a residence in the southern city district for Luo Ning. It happened to be next door to Madam Feng.
It was the clan head who told her: “Do not offend Madam Feng. Whether it is the Feng clan or the Pei family, they have power and influence here. We cannot afford to cross them.”
Luo Ning kept that in mind.
On the first day after moving in, she had Qiu Lan make several kinds of pastries. She took Qiu Lan with her to send them to Madam Feng as a greeting.
Madam Feng did not come out to see Luo Ning.
But her steward nanny was very warm. The next day, she sent a return gift to Luo Ning, including several kinds of precious tonic foods.
They lived next door to each other for a year, and Luo Ning never formally saw Madam Feng’s face.
A few times when they happened to meet, Madam Feng wore a conical hat and covered herself up tightly.
From afar, Luo Ning only felt that she was not as petite and dainty as southern women usually were. Her figure was tall and slender, making the maidservants at her side look especially small.
Madam Feng never took the initiative to speak with Luo Ning. Every time, it was her personal maidservant who came forward to greet her.
Luo Ning had received lychee chicken soup stewed by her cook, some pastries, and even newly arrived fabrics.
At night, whenever Luo Ning played the zither, Madam Feng would always match her for a while with her flute.
Luo Ning’s zither music was melancholy and sorrowful, while Madam Feng’s flute was soft and lingering.
It was as if Luo Ning had fallen into icy water and was in a sorry state, and Madam Feng, this elder sister, wrapped her up in a gentle blanket.
They exchanged gifts and courtesy. In Luo Ning’s heart, Madam Feng was an elder sister who was a bit solitary and not fond of talking, but had a very good heart.
On the eve of her return to the capital, Luo Ning went specially to the biggest music shop in Shaoyang and bought a finely crafted, very expensive purple bamboo flute.
She also chose a little jade clasp, tied a tassel on it with her own hands, fastened it to the flute, and gave it to Madam Feng.
It was to thank Madam Feng for her company and care during that year.
She said that she would be leaving the next day, but Madam Feng still did not come out to see her.
Her maidservant thanked her: “My lady asked me to tell you, the road is long. May you have a safe journey.”
Luo Ning felt a bit of regret.
On the way back to the capital, her mood improved a lot. She was almost back to the lightness she had as a child. Then the upheaval at home struck her dumb.
After her rebirth, the events in Shaoyang felt more than ten years away in her memory. If Qiu Lan had not brought them up, she would have almost forgotten.
Luo Ning said: “Her flute is very moving. You can feel its power, but she holds it back on purpose. She is tall and full of energy, so what she plays sounds especially good.”
“Yes. Only when you played the zither would you be happy for a little while,” Qiu Lan said.
Luo Ning put away the jade zither.
She said to Qiu Lan and Qiu Hua: “I should go meet Grand Princess Jia Hong. The Princess Manor often sends things to the imperial son-in-law’s hometown. I can send along some things from the capital for Madam Feng.”
Qiu Hua laughed: “If the Princess Manor is already sending things, Madam Feng will not be lacking.”
“This is my own gesture,” Luo Ning said.
She went on: “Next time, I also want to send some things to the clan head and to my younger sisters and sisters-in-law. I just do not know whom to send. We can have them take a portion for Madam Feng on the way.”
After they agreed, they put away the jade zither and got ready to rest.
That night, Luo Ning vaguely heard the sound of a flute in her dreams.
The next day, Nanny Zhen, who served at the side of Madam Bai the Marchioness, came in person to Wenqi Courtyard. Smiling at Luo Ning, she said: “Many flowers have just arrived at the Rear Garden.
We do not know what kind of flowers the young ladies like, so we do not dare send them out at random. Eldest Miss, Madam asks you to go later and pick out two pots.”
She added: “Tomorrow is Third Miss’s hairpin ceremony. These flowers are all to add to the banquet’s beauty. You should also choose a pot to give to Third Miss. Every young lady has to give one.”
Luo Ning agreed and invited Nanny Zhen to stay for tea.
Nanny Zhen still had things to do and took her leave first.
As soon as she left, Luo Ning paused and thought.
In the first lunar month of her last life, she had been sickly the whole time and missed the spring banquet. Grand Princess Jia Hong’s residence had not sent an invitation to the Luo family. She had also missed Cousin Luo Wan’s hairpin ceremony.
So she had no way to guess Nanny Zhen’s intentions by relying on memory.
Even without memories of her previous life, Luo Ning would still have felt that this matter was not simple.
It was not that she was overly suspicious.
For such a small matter, the Marchioness could have just sent a maidservant to say a few words, but she had deliberately sent Nanny Zhen.
In the inner residence, Nanny Zhen was like the chief steward nanny. Even Old Madam had to give her some respect. Since she had come in person, neither the young ladies nor the madams could easily refuse.
They all had to go pick the flowers themselves.
And she had also said that each of them had to send a pot of flowers to their cousin as an auspicious gift for the hairpin ceremony. Luo Ning had even less excuse to decline.
On the surface, they were telling her to choose flowers. In secret, an invisible hand was pushing her, forcing her to go to the Rear Garden.
That was strange.
When Luo Ning thought of this, she immediately said to Qiu Hua: “Bring me a small dagger. We are going to the Rear Garden.”
“Should you change clothes now?” Qiu Hua asked. Then she quickly went to fetch the dagger for her and added, “What do you want a dagger for?”
Luo Ning did not answer. She hid the dagger under her sleeve and said: “No need to change. We are going right away.”
Nanny Zhen had come to inform them of this matter.
Normally, a girl from a good family would change out of her everyday clothes, which would delay her a bit. Counting the time, she would not arrive for at least one or two hours.
Luo Ning wanted to get there earlier and see what was going on.
Qiu Hua obeyed her every word: “Yes.”
Luo Ning and Qiu Hua walked quickly toward the Rear Garden.
She thought they had come early, but halfway there they ran into her younger half-sister, Luo Xuan.
Luo Xuan seemed not to have expected this. A flash of surprise crossed her eyes and was quickly hidden as she said: “Elder Sister.”
“Second Sister.”
Luo Ning gave her a look. Luo Xuan was wearing a small pomegranate-red patterned jacket, with a pair of bracelets showing on her wrists.
They were a pair of jade bangles.
Among the womenfolk of the Luo family, wearing jadeite was not very common. Luo Ning had only seen bangles of such fine quality on Senior Madam Bai.
Luo Ning kept her face calm. When she raised her eyes again, she also saw the ruby earrings on Luo Xuan’s ears.
The rubies were about the size of soybeans, with very clear, bright color.
All her jewelry was very fine.
Luo Ning knew that Luo Xuan was the Marchioness’s little hatchet man and was also extremely vain.
Luo Ning picked a topic and made small talk with her: “What flowers does A’Wan like? I have been away from home for several years and do not really know.”
Luo Xuan said with a smile: “Third Sister loves begonias the most.”
“Should we both pick begonia flowers to give her?”
“Elder Sister, you choose first,” Luo Xuan said. “I will choose something else. It is the same.”
The two of them went to the Rear Garden first.
The gardeners had already carried in all kinds of potted flowers. The flower house was full of rich fragrance.
Seizing the chance, Luo Xuan said to Luo Ning: “I feel a bit thirsty, Elder Sister. There is tea in the Emerald Pavilion over there. I will go and have a drink.”
Luo Ning said: “I am thirsty too.”
“There might not be any. I will go and see first, Elder Sister. If there is, you can go later, so the two of us do not make the trip for nothing,” Luo Xuan said.
Luo Ning gave her a quiet look.
Luo Xuan felt a sudden, strange chill in her heart, and then heard Luo Ning say: “All right, go and take a look.”